First-ever Bollywood music video for gay rights

THE United Nations has produced the first-ever Bollywood music video that directly deals with themes of gay rights, same-sex relationships and homophobia.

The UN Human Rights Office revealed the music video and song, The Welcome, at a press conference in the Indian city of Mumbai yesterday.

It is the latest campaign by UN Free and Equal to fight negative stereotypes of LGBTI people around the world, and portrays a story of a young man who brings his boyfriend home to meet his family for the first time.

The clip also features Bollywood star and Miss India winner Celina Jaitly, and choreography was done by Longinus Fernandes — who is famous for his work on Academy Award-winning film Slumdog Millionaire.

The campaign comes on the back of India’s Supreme Court recently handing down a landmark ruling in favour of its trans* citizens that legally recognised a third gender, and that gender identity discrimination breached anti-discrimination clauses in the Indian Constitution.